Comprehension of medication-related information translated from Japanese to Southeast Asian Languages using google translate

TL;DR

This study examines how well Southeast Asian workers understand medication information translated from Japanese to their languages using Google Translate.

Contribution

The study evaluates the effectiveness of Google Translate for conveying medication-related information to Southeast Asian populations in Japan.

Findings

Comprehension of medication main effects and side effects was generally adequate.

Understanding of medication usage was limited, especially for loxoprofen.

There was significant variation in comprehension across different language groups.

Abstract

A workforce of foreign workers, mainly from Southeast Asia (SEA), is increasing because of an aging society and a declining birthrate. However, there are a few hospitals that can accept them. In this study, we evaluated whether SEA persons can understand medication-related information translated from Japanese into SEA languages using Google Translate.

The study was a questionnaire survey of simulated cases. Information on simulated cases in Japanese was translated into each target language using Google Translate. We set the answer to the questionnaire based on the simulated cases. Participants’ backgrounds and answers to the questionnaire were aggregated for each target language and category.

The participants were 24 people from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Burma. Comprehension outcomes differed across medications and information types. While understanding of main effects and side effects was generally adequate, comprehension of medication usage was limited, particularly for loxoprofen, with substantial variation across language groups.

It’s challenging to communicate medical information accurately to the SEA patients when relying solely on Google Translate. Therefore, we may need to provide medication guidance orally to improve and enhance medication-related information, even if we cannot speak SEA languages.

Figures